Partners
by myprovincialife
Summary: Certain snapshots between Anna and Kristoff as ice dancers. Ice Dancing AU.
**Hello! This is a little different and was hard for me to post because I felt the characters were OOC a little so if that bothers you I'm sorry. Also posted on tumblr. Inspiration for this came from research (obsessions) with other ice dance partners (ten points if you can guess who). I'm not an ice dance technician so don't hold me on my skating language! Enjoy and feedback is welcomed!**

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 **i. kids**

They met when Anna was only seven and Kristoff was nine. He'd trained with countless girls, trying to find the perfect one who could keep up with him and then Anna came along. He remembers when he first saw her at the rink. She wore thick gloves and a puffy coat because she felt the cold easily and she had rosy pink cheeks that reminded him of a cartoon character. She wore her hair in braids with little ribbons at the bottom and she was the perfect height for him.

Anna liked to skate. In fact, she loved everything, ballet, tap, swimming... You name it, she did it. Skating had always been her favorite though. She loved to come up with new ways that her feet could dance across the ice, always coming up with new routines to the latest 'Spice Girls' song. She was a fast skater for someone so young. Her mother had always joked that she'd never find a partner who she wouldn't out-skate. Then Kristoff came along. He was taller than her and wore a hockey jersey on their first meeting, making her wonder why the heck he was ice dancing and not playing hockey.

"It's because my mum says I'm too small." He later told her, but he wasn't small... He was tall and handsome and she liked the way he goofed around, making everyone laugh.

She remembers them being pushed together by their parents and having to skate next to each other awkwardly for twenty minutes before finally exchanging names.

"I'm Anna by the way."

"I'm Kristoff."

"I know, I've seen you around the rink before."

"Cool."

 **ii. hands**

It was their third practice together and they had finally gotten to know each other. Kristoff liked hockey and Anna loved to ride her bike up and down her driveway. They both confessed their love for skating and vowed, even as little kids, to never let the other down. A promise they never broke. Anna liked Kristoff's goofy grin and he liked how she was always smiling, even when she fell.

"Wanna dance?" Nine year old Kristoff asked with his hands in what he thought was a dancing posture that he'd seen at his uncles wedding last summer.

"Sure."

He put her gloved hand into his own and placed his arm on her hip, awkwardly keeping a distance. He began guiding her around as their parents watched from the sidelines, their mother's smiling at each other with tears in their eyes.

"They're going to be stars." Anna's mother said as Kristoff's nodded in agreement.

Anna liked how Kristoff held her hand. It was like she never wanted to let go. It was comfortable and it kept her warm.

She never wore gloves again.

 **iii. heartache**

Being nearly eighteen and having your entire life fall apart in front of you was the worst pain she'd ever felt. Anna had found out that her mother and father both passed away whilst at the rink with Kristoff, practicing their new exhibition piece for their upcoming championships.

All she heard was 'car accident' before she collapsed into his arms, holding onto him for dear life whilst his heart sank. Her mother and father had always meant the world to her, she was doing this for them. She wanted to skate just like her mother had and with her sister already winning Olympic medals in figure skating she was determined to do her mother proud too.

Her father had been someone that Kristoff had looked up to ever since he was a little boy. He had played for his favorite hockey team and Kristoff still had a signed autograph from when he was five years old. To him he was the father he never had and he had treated Kristoff as if he were his own, taking him under his wing and trusting him with his daughters life.

Kristoff looked down and the frail girl in his arms who was usually full of life. She was so big in personality and now... Now she looked so small and all he wanted to do was tell her that everything was going to be okay. But it wasn't.

Anna didn't skate for months. She stayed locked in her house with her sister away from everyone. She shut out Kristoff, refusing to talk to him because she felt that she'd let him down. She'd even stopped her visits with his own mother on Sunday's for lunch, something she'd never missed since she was twelve.

He wanted to talk to her, to let her know that he was here for her, not as a skating partner but as her best friend but those words however were never able to leave his mouth. He was too in shock himself.

He was forced by his mother to go to the rink again ("you'll forget how to skate Kristoff, she'll be back when she's ready"), but nothing was the same without Anna. She made him find a love for skating that he never thought possible. He looked forward to her whispering the lyrics into his ear when they got wrapped up in a skate. He loved the way their lips almost touched every time they skated, her breath hitching. Nothing was the same without Anna.

He turned up at the rink, skates in hand and a frown on his face. He really didn't want to be here right now. Sitting down, he pulled off his trainers and pulled on his skates, cringing at how different it felt to wear them again.

He began to walk towards the entrance and made it halfway before hearing the familiar tune of 'Valse Triste' blaring through the speakers. He'd recognize it anywhere. He remembered Anna showing him countless videos as a child of her mother skating to it, gliding across the ice, making it seem like her skates were invisible. Anna had always wanted to do her mother proud, that's all she ever wanted and Kristoff knew that she'd already done that by being herself and doing what she loves most.

He walked towards the rink and saw a petite red head dancing across the ice, just like her mother had done in all those videos. He watched from a distance as she follows her mother's routine to a tee, gliding like a duck on water. He'd never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

When she finished, she glanced over to see his face staring back at her with tears in his eyes.

"I think I want to skate to this in our next program." She said whilst skating towards him.

He just nodded and pulled her into a hug, burying his nose into her hair.

Oh how he'd missed this.

 **iv. return**

She'd fractured both her ankles when she fell down the stairs. Ironic really, that she was an ice skater but couldn't even walk without being clumsy. She was terrified of getting back on the ice, scared that her skating would never quite be the same.

The first day back on the ice for Anna was terrifying and quite frankly, awful. She couldn't make it to the middle of the ice without Kristoff having to pick her up because her ankle collapsed on her.

The second day was the same, she tired easily and the pain wouldn't stop.

The third day was worse. No progress.

They had to have a new approach. Worlds were coming up and they were top of the board. They had to skate. They _needed_ to.

Kristoff brought Anna to the rink on a day she was told to rest. Anna didn't mind though, she was itching to get back on track. It was killing her to watch her partner succeed and her fall back down the skating ladder.

"Okay, so we're going to try a twizzle set."

"Kristoff, I can barely skate, never mind twizzle in sync with you."

Kristoff sighed and held her hands in his own. "Anna. Skating isn't in your feet, it's in you heart and soul. You can do this without even thinking about what your feet are doing. Twizzles are in your blood, we've practiced them over and over since we were kids and we've perfected them. I know you can do this."

She looked into his eyes and found herself forget what he had said for a moment.

"O-okay."

"I'll catch you if you fall."

That was his catchphrase. Ever since they were little kids doing their first ever lift. He'd been there every single time.

They began their twizzles, staying in sync the whole time. Anna stumbled at the end as her ankle give-way but Kristoff caught her immediately, wrapping her up into a bear hug.

"You did it."

 **v. feelings**

She didn't know how to define the feelings she had for Kristoff. She had the same response every time someone asked her:

 _Oh we're just friends._

It was her most frequent saying, especially in interviews. He _should_ be like a brother, she's known him long enough for that to be a typical response, but she just can't bring herself to say it, because they aren't like siblings.

They never argue. It was a rule that if the other was upset by something that they'd done, then they would just talk it out. They sat down every Saturday and discussed what had happened during the week and how it made them feel. Talking about their feelings made this whole scenario turn into some sort of couples therapy. It definitely helped though, because every Monday morning they'd go out and skate with a new sense of passion brewing within them. They were doing this not only for themselves, but for each other.

She loved him, of course, but she couldn't point out in what way. She'd known him almost her whole life and it confused her. She'd always cared for him, making sure she always carried plasters because he'd always somehow cut his hand on his blade, she'd make sure he got home safe after a rough competition (and a rough night of drinking the pain away) and she'd always be there to listen to his problems.

He cared for her too. When they first moved across the country together, himself barely an adult and her a teenager, he made sure she wasn't homesick. He'd hold her when she cried about missing her family and joke about during practice when the coaches were beating her down. He'd eat lunches with her at school, brushing off the teasing he got for it and he remained the only thing in her life that hadn't changed in 18 years. He loved her too, but he had a similar problem. Was it romantic love?

 **vi. falls**

She never physically fell, he was always there to catch her. Emotionally however, she did.

It was a Tuesday and it was unlike Anna to turn up to their off-ice dance classes, but today she was absent. Kristoff was confused, they were so close to the next Grand Prix event and he couldn't understand why she wouldn't show up today of all days. He refused to be angry though, he'd never been angry towards her and he wasn't about to start now.

 _"You can't fix anything through arguing and blaming each other, you let out the anger in your skating and come out stronger than ever before."_

That was something their first coach had told them and had stuck with him ever since he was fifteen years old. He respected Anna in a lot of ways, she was only seven when they began and he always wondered what she would be doing if she wasn't so committed to him as a partner. She could have done anything, she'd had to drop out of high school because she had to commit herself to full training days, it was okay for him, he'd already graduated. Anna gave up her whole life for this partnership and he couldn't thank her enough for completing this journey with him. There's nobody we would have rather done this with.

After negotiating with their dance coach to leave early, he went to Anna's favorite coffee shop to get them a hot chocolate. It became their thing. After every bad competition or dreadful practice, they'd get a hot chocolate. It was a way of communicating without really talking.

He found her curled up in their apartment, ( _"It's weird going home at the end of the day and you're not there, so I think we should move in together"_ ) in his jumper, looking red-faced.

"Anna. Have you been crying?" He asked, rushing over to her place on the couch, rubbing her back.

"No."

"Did I do something wrong? We have to talk about our feelings you know."

She sniffled and looked away, mumbling something that he couldn't quite hear.

"What?"

She gave him a vague look. "What happens afterwards?"

"After what? Grand Prix? Nationals? Worlds? The Olympics I hope."

She shook her head. "No that's not what I mean. After skating."

"Even when we retire from competition we'll still skate. There's shows and teaching, you love to teach little kids to skate."

"No." Anna raised her voice, something she rarely did... And never at him. "After this." She wagged her finger between them both. "We're just going to go our separate ways and act like we haven't been skating with each other for twelve years? Is it just going to be a quick 'hello' in passing? We won't talk. What if skating is all we have?"

He sympathized for her because he's had these exact thoughts himself. What if this was it? What if skating was all they had in life? What if they weren't best friends, or lovers, or siblings... They were just.. Partners.

"Anna, you've been in my life for as long as I remember. I could never leave you now." He nudged her playfully. "You're stuck with me."

She smiled a little and wiped her remaining tears with her sleeve.. Well.. His sleeve. "You don't know that. You don't know what we're going to be like in twelve months."

He moved to get comfy and pulled her back into his lap, stroking her hair with his hand. It was simple comfort but it was something they had done since they were teenagers. He'd hug her like this before every competition to let her know that he was there. He was _always_ there.

"You're right." He whispered into her ear. "I don't know what it's going to be like in twelve months. What I do know is that the we'll never be apart. Maybe we could take some time off after this competition season. Go to Hawaii or Australia or France.. You love Paris."

"Mhm. Together?"

"Together."

"Thank you Kristoff. You're the best partner ever."

He kissed her forehead. "Not partners Anna. You're my lifesaver."

She smiled weak and sleepily and he could tell by the look on her face that she thought he was joking. He wasn't.

 **vii. growth**

He doesn't even remember the fact that they dated as kids. Him being ten and her eight, his mother making him take a single rose to the rink to give her after every little competition. He supposed that was the reason why they hardly talked until they were mid-teens. It was awkward and every skate was filled with blushes and giggles.

After deciding to break it off romantically after just a year, via note, ( _Kristoff, I don't think that we should date anymore because Elsa says that to be in love, you have to kiss and I don't wanna kiss you. I'm sorry. Anna_ ) they suddenly started talking more. He'd invite her to his house after practice to watch hockey and sometimes he would come to her house and they'd watch ice dancing videos of their heroes, past and present. It was nice he supposed, having a girl for a friend. He'd never had one of those before.

She'd always kept a diary which documented the milestones they'd made together in their skating.

 _Me: 8_  
 _Kristoff: 10_

 _Today we skated to something that's called a symphony and Kristoff said it was boring but I liked it because he lifted me for the first time and I trusted him._

 _Me: 10_  
 _Kristoff: 12_

 _We won our first junior nationals and it was amazing! Everyone was cheering for us and shouting our names and we got medals!_

 _Me: 14_  
 _Kristoff: 16_

 _We accidentally kissed today during one of our programs, my first kiss:)_

 _Me: 17_  
 _Kristoff: 19_

 _We won our first world title!_

She loved reading them back, seeing how they'd grown. She admired that they'd been able to stay friends for so long without hating each other or having even an ounce of resentment to the other. That was special and she knew it.

 **viii. dates**

They agreed to keep their dating lives separate from their skating ones. Neither one would judge the other for their romantic (or lack of) relationships. Anna dated two guys in their skating lives, one of which happened to be a skater from a rival pair. Hans.

Kristoff hated him, he was such a rude person. He'd never clap for the other teams and would make all the performances about himself, forgetting that he had a partner. It took everything he had not to punch his face when Anna started dating him. She stopped him, making a promise that he was different outside of skating.

For a while he saw a different side of him. Not from Hans personally but from Anna, she was happy and he liked seeing her smile. He thought that Hans must act better around Anna, more easygoing, less uptight.

That was until Anna came home at 11pm crying her eyes out, falling into his arms.

"He doesn't love me. He was using me." She cried.

"Sh sh, hey, partners remember? You can tell me anything." He comforted her, gently bringing her over to their couch and settling his arms around her.

"He wanted me to leave you." She sobbed, he hated seeing her cry. "He said he wanted me to be his partner, that if I loved him enough, I'd leave you."

He held is breath as she continued.

"But I don't love him that much. I don't love him more than you."

"I'm glad you decided to stay feistypants."

"Are you kidding?" She began to calm down, wiping her tears into his arm. "There is no other partner for me."

"He wasn't worth your love anyway Anna." He kissed her forehead.

"I know. He was using me to get inside information on us." She looked up at him. "I think he's jealous that we have something that him and I never would have had."

His eyebrows furrowed. "And what's that?"

"Magic."

Of course, he'd had his fair share of girlfriends and every single one of them ended the same way:

 _"You'll never love me the way you love Anna. She'll always come first."_

For years this statement had baffled him as he didn't even realise how much Anna meant to him, but now... Oh now it was much different. Anna was in such a different league compared to every other woman. He'd compare everyone to her, their laugh, their hair, the way their eyes would sparkle in the moonlight... Or wouldn't.

Anna was his dream girl, there was no doubt about it. If only things were different.

 **ix. competitions**

Anna hated competitions and Kristoff couldn't say he was the biggest fan, he'd just put on a brave face and smile for her... Only her.

Anna didn't like the buzz of it all. Usually she was outgoing and willing to talk to anyone and everyone who would listen but this was different, these were their opponents and Anna didn't like the tension that these competitions would bring with them. They were anxiety ridden and in her whole 16 years of skating, she'd never gotten through one without having some sort of panic attack.

Kristoff knew Anna like the back of his hand and when Anna would hit that stage, he would be right there calming her down and reassuring her that everything was going to be okay.

 _You're going to do amazing Anna._

 _I'm here._

 _You're safe._

 _Breathe with me._

Of course Kristoff was nervous but never as equally as her. He managed to conquer the fears of being watched and criticized, learning that this was for their benefit and not anyone else's. He'd told Anna that too.

"This is for us." Kristoff would say before every single program and year by year Anna would slowly start to believe it, winking back at him every time he said it, giving him a grin as if to say 'I'm ready.'

She couldn't do this without him, that was for sure. Medals and world titles would come and go but one thing remained the same; their passion and love for being on the ice together.

She'd never forget the one skate that changed everything for them, probably the fastest and most physically demanding thing they'd ever done together. It was meaningful and even though they were only young and title-less, it was the start of something special for them because it brought them life and spirit.

It was from that point onward that Anna realized that they could really do this... Together.

 **x. confessions**

"Current standings going into the original dance are Anna Arendelle and Kristoff Bjorgman in first place..."

The words still rang in her ears as she tried to comprehend the statement. First place going into the original dance. Everyone was going to be trying to catch up to them. Them being the littlest of them all.

"Anna breathe."

"I can't breathe I'm under too much pressure!" She shouted back at him.

"Anna. Calm down." He wrapped his arms around her, attempting to sync his breath with hers. "Breathe with me. In, out, in, out." It worked like a charm.

"Thanks Kristoff."

"Always Anna."

...

"And the Olympic Ice Dance champions are Anna Arendelle and Kristoff Bjorgman!"

She stood on the podium with pride, holding Kristoff's hand like she had for the past thirteen years. She looked up with him to see tears in his eyes (which he'd later deny) and nuzzled herself into his arm as the ceremony ended. Their flag held high above the rink.

The next few weeks were a blur. Press tours, galas, school visits, skating club visits... They didn't stop.

And then they did.

"Hi Kristoff, it's Anna, it's just- you haven't spoken to me for weeks now and I'm worried. I miss you."

"Hey Kris, me again... Please let me know that you're okay. Did I do something wrong? We won Kris! Come on celebrate with me!"

"You probably know who it is by now. I've obviously upset you by doing something that I don't even remember. So I apologize. Just call me. _Please_."

He didn't know what exactly his problem was. He missed her but it wasn't the usual 'I'll see you when I get back' feeling. It was more of a 'oh god I miss being with you 24/7 and I miss our cuddles on the couch and damn it I miss holding you' feeling. He didn't know what to do with himself because he couldn't face her with his emotions in such a twist.

They'd retreated back to their respective homes once they moved back to Arendelle, away from their training and rooming together life on the other side of the country. He didn't like it. He didn't like not having to wake Anna up at 6am everyday, it was different and he was lonely.

He jumped when the doorbell rang and a loud knock sounded. Anna. It's Anna. Shit.

He couldn't just leave her there, she deserved some sort of explanation. He reluctantly opened the door to reveal an obviously angry Anna. She moved straight past him and into his childhood living room, somewhere they'd shared so many memories.

 _"Let's practice something!" Fourteen year old Anna said after making him watch her favorite movie for the hundredth time._

 _"Like what?"_

 _"I really wanna skate to 'Jack and Diane.'"_

 _"How do you even know that song?"_

 _"Well duh, I have you for a friend."_

 _"You know what that song is about right?"_

 _Anna thought for a moment. "Oh yeah." She giggled. "Maybe we shouldn't."_

 _"No, it's good. It's about teenagers being teenagers. I love it. Let's do it!"_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Of course Miss Diane." He offered her his hand._

 _"Why thank you Mr Jack!"_

"You promised it wouldn't be like this." She whispered just so he could hear to pain in her voice. "You promised we'd be the same."

She'd been crying and he felt like a complete and utter fool for leaving her in this state. The worst part was that he didn't even have a logical reason that he could tell her.. Unless...

 _I love you_

 _I love you_

 _I love you_

"I..." He stuttered. "I..."

"You know what? I can't believe you'd throw this away. We were inseparable Kristoff! What happened to that eighteen year old who held me when I cried after a vigorous day of training? Where's that twenty year old who made me feel like I was worthy of skating again? God dammit, where's that nine year old who asked me if I wanted to hold hands and dance with him? Where is he Kristoff? Because all I see is a selfish jerk who got his gold medal and fled away from his partner, his best friend.. His.. His.." She was sobbing again by this point. "His lifesaver."

He didn't even realise how much his heart hurt right now for her. He'd been an idiot. Tears forming in his own eyes, he attempted a step towards her but she pushed him backwards. Gosh she was tiny but mighty.

"No. You don't get to say anything to me now Kristoff."

"Anna, I-"

She collapsed onto his sofa and he sat next to her, gently wrapping his hands around hers which rested upon her lap. She didn't flinch, this was a good sign.

"How did we end up like this Kris?"

"I haven't spoke to you because I've been thinking about some stuff and my head has been all over the place."

She sympathized a little, it had been a mad rush, but that still didn't excuse the ignorance.

"You could have spoke to me, I could have helped you." Calm Anna. He liked calm Anna, he was familiar with her.

"You couldn't."

"Why?"

"Because you're the problem."

"I'm.. Wait, what?" Anna was completely and utterly confused, to the point where she didn't know whether to storm out of his house or kiss him. "How am I the problem? What did I do? Just tell me."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm worried that it will change everything. I'm worried that what I say will ruin the relationship we have."

"Nothing can ruin that."

"This will."

"Just tell me, please." Her voice cracked and he couldn't help but feel like this wasn't doing either of them any good.

He had to come clean, it was now or never. He had to risk her reaction because they couldn't keep living their lives like this.

"I love you."

She blinked... And blinked... And blinked.

"What?"

"I've loved you since you were a little girl with big gloves and braids with bows. I love the way your hand fits in mine. I love the way you're always smiling. I love the way you hug me every time we finish skating together. I love you Anna. So damn much and it hurts."

"I..."

"No, I need to get this out. I should have told you years ago, I would have but I didn't know exactly what those feelings meant. I didn't want to lose this, our partnership. I love you Anna and I just wish I'd have told you sooner because then maybe I wouldn't have been such an idiot the past few weeks."

"Kristoff." She said in a sweet voice that was like music to his ears. She didn't sound angry or sad, she was happy. "I love you too."

"Y-you do?"

"Of course I do."

He was so over the moon that he leaned forward and kissed her without any sort of hesitation. She began to kiss him back with all the passion she'd been building up over the years. He wishes he'd kissed her before, not those brushes mid-skate, but a real kiss. This was heaven.

They pulled away, foreheads still together, breath heavy and lips swollen.

"Wanna dance?"

"You betcha!"

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 **I have to say I'm pretty proud of this despite my OOC hesitations. I don't think I've ever felt for the characters as much as I did whilst writing this. Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!:)**


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